


after some time (i fall asleep next to you)

by castielfalls



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), Supergirl (TV 2015), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Eventual Relationships, F/M, I don’t know how to write Gideon but I tried, I tried to write them in character and I think I kind of pass??, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-01
Updated: 2018-02-01
Packaged: 2019-03-12 08:14:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13543344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/castielfalls/pseuds/castielfalls
Summary: Barry finds Dr. Wells' secret time vault and Gideon gives him an offer in exchange for not revealing Dr Wells' secret to keep the timeline intact ; to see the past and his parents again or to see the future.





	after some time (i fall asleep next to you)

**Author's Note:**

> the order of events may not match up to the original show’s timeline of events, but just go with it for the fic.
> 
> it’s really long, so make yourselves comfortable.
> 
> kudos and comments are appreciated!

**FLASH DISAPPEARS IN CRISIS** _by Iris West_

    It hadn't been Barry's intention, but he'd accidentally tripped into an enclosed room he'd found in the corridor. The door had been left widen open, a secret passageway in the hallway's wall. Although he didn't mean to find the strange room, it didn't mean he wasn't going to explore it. When he entered, he'd seen a newspaper displayed on the wall with a headline that caught his attention. Below FLASH DISAPPEARS IN CRISIS, there was a smaller article in the corner about Queen Consolidated merging with Wayne Industries. His eyes searched for a date, frowning as he realized it was a date in the future.

    "What the hell?" he muttered to himself quietly, stepping closer to the newspaper.

    Just then, a female voice greeted, "Voice recognition : Bartholomew Henry Allen. Hello."

    "Who are you?" Barry questioned, glancing around the room.

    The disembodied voice answered, "I am Gideon. You are not supposed to be here."

    Barry ignored her statement and said, "No way Dr Wells doesn't know about this place." He paused momentarily before saying, "He owns this, doesn't he? He owns you."

    Gideon didn't answer for some time before she said, "You cannot reveal this to Caitlin Snow and Francisco Ramon."

    Barry raised an eyebrow, "Reveal what, he owns a private room with a newspaper from the future? Unless there's more to it." Gideon went silent as Barry thought aloud, "It's in the future, so that means he's monitoring it... monitoring the timeline." Barry stopped pacing the room, turning around to stare at the newspaper again with wide eyes.

    "Dr Wells killed my mother."

    Barry froze on the spot as Gideon's silence confirmed his thoughts.

    Finally she spoke, "He hadn't meant to kill Nora. He meant to kill you."

    "Why?"

    "So the Flash wouldn't exist," Gideon answered. "Barry, the timeline will change and the consequences will be dire if you take the plan apart by telling Caitlin and Cisco."

    "How?" Barry demanded. "How will it change?"

    "If his plan fails, you will cease to exist because he will kill you instead of Nora," Gideon said.

    Barry sighed in frustration as he started pacing the room again, asking, "Why did he want to kill me?"

    Gideon responded, "We'll have to start from the beginning. In the far future, he was obsessed with you, a super fan. He travelled back in time to meet his hero, the Flash, but found out that he was destined to be the Flash's greatest villain. You fought for years and eventually, he finds out which timeline you were from and knew your identity, fighting you. He still couldn't beat you and he was frustrated, so he travelled back in time to your childhood. There, he wanted to kill you as a child, but the Flash from the future followed him and saved you. Dr Wells got even more frustrated and thought that if he killed Nora, your grief would affect you so badly that you would never become the Flash."

    "So he killed her," Barry finished, feeling sick to his stomach. The man he'd idolized for so long killed his mother for such a selfish reason. Gideon affirmed it and Barry asked, "That's not all there is, is it?"

    Gideon continued, "Indeed. When you ran, you created something called the speed force. If the Flash never existed, there would be no speed force. When there is no speed force, he can't get back to his timeline, so he took on the identity of Dr Wells to help you become the Flash, so he could get home."

    "Why are you telling me all this so willingly?" Barry questioned suspiciously. "I thought you would be less compliant."

    "You created me," Gideon answered.

    Barry stared at the face that had formed in surprise, "I did?"

    Gideon nodded, "Yes, so I told you all that. However, I will still need you to not inform Caitlin and Cisco."

    Barry frowned, turning to leave the time vault, "I can't keep this from them, timeline changing or not."

    Gideon went silent for a few moments before she decided to give Barry an offer.

    "If I give you the chance to revisit the past or to see the future, either choice not causing any change in the timeline, will you keep this a secret?" Gideon asked.

    Barry hesitated, glancing back at Gideon as he asked quietly, "It won't change the timeline?"

    "Not at all," Gideon assured. "It's just to visit. Would you take me up on that?"

    "It would be selfish of me to keep it a secret because of my own wants," Barry pointed out.

    Gideon was slightly desperate, "Barry, if you tell them you will alter the timeline. You may never become the Flash. Do you want your parents to live with your death?"

    "Playing the parent card," Barry scoffed. "Low blow."

    It was enough to make Barry rethink the offer, however, and Gideon knew it. She asked, "Well, Barry?"

    Barry sighed, running a hand over his face, "Fine. I'll keep it a secret. Only because I don't want to mess with the timeline."

    Gideon smiled and asked, "Would you like to see your mother again or see the future?"

    As much as Barry wanted to see his mother once again, to get closure, he had a feeling he was going to get plenty of other chances to do that in the future, so he decided that the future would be more useful to know. Plus, no matter what he did in the future, the timeline wouldn't change. He answered, "Future."

    Gideon nodded and asked, "How many years ahead?"

    "Ten?"

    "As you wish," Gideon said. Before Barry knew what was going on, he was covered in white light and he was gone.

* * *

"Barry, come on. I'm sorry."

    Barry wakes up to find himself in a bedroom, seated on a bed in a shirt, none of which he recognizes. He glances around, confused, as he takes in the state of the room. The bed is larger than the one he had in the West's house, the room riddled with things he never owned before. Of course, he just chalked it up to since it was the future, he's likely gotten some new interests and hobbies over the years. The science fair ribbons and diplomas that once lined his West house bedroom have been crowded into one area of the left wall to make way for a bigger wardrobe. Well, this was clearly his bedroom. Barry doesn't know anyone else with such an avid interest in Science — spare Felicity and Cisco — and he doubts he's in either of their bedrooms.

    The plain white closet doors are half open with some of Barry's clothes laid out. A leather jacket is among the pile on the floor and Barry picks it up, eyeing it curiously. He didn't own leather jackets — never had any interest in wearing them — but obviously, that has changed. He walks over to the full body mirror, taking in how he looks. He has a little bit of facial hair now and his hair is longer, messier, as if Barry doesn't put in as much effort into the way he looks anymore.

    "Barry?"

    He turns towards the door where the voice came from. The voice sounds like Oliver, but it's deeper, a little more grown up. Oliver Queen, who Barry had last met when he'd been on an anger trip induced by Roy Bivolo. Oliver Queen who somehow stood his ground with Barry despite being a powerless archer against a super-powered speedster. Barry stands up and walks over to the door, unlocking it to reveal none other than Oliver.

    "Okay, no bullshit. I was out of line earlier. There is no excuse, I shouldn't have said that, I'm sorry," Oliver says, straightforward. Barry stares at him in confusion, having never seen so much sincerity in Oliver's eyes before. Oliver's facial hair is a little longer and his blonde hair is still roughly the same.

    Barry blinks, not exactly sure what Oliver is apologizing for, but he nods slowly and says hesitantly, "It's okay."

    Oliver glances up from his staring at the floor into Barry's eyes with hope, "You forgive me?"

    "Yeah, I... I forgive you," Barry says, not knowing what else he can say. He doesn't know what Oliver's done so he can't really reject the apology.

    Oliver immediately breaks into a grin as he pulls Barry into a hug, "Thank you." Barry pauses before he returns the hug, frowning in confusion.

    Since when has Oliver been a hugger? Oliver's never been one for embracing people or outwardly showing affection to his friends. The only time Barry's seen Oliver show affection was when he'd kissed his mother and sister on their cheeks at the party in Starling, or when he shot a look towards Felicity back when he and Barry were at Jitters getting coffee after their duel. Was it possible that someone has managed to crack Oliver's hard exterior, to make way for a softer Oliver? Then again, this was Gideon — Gideon who was currently serving his mother's killer — Oliver could very well be the same man he was, if not colder.

    Oliver pulls away and he glances into the room, a faint frown replacing his grin, "I'm sorry I made you so mad."

    Barry stares at him in question before he turns around to see, noticing things he didn't notice before. The lava lamp on the bedside table has been knocked over, a crack on the glass allowing the liquid to seep out into the grey carpeted floor. The pillows on the bed — with Flash bedsheets, Barry had to stop himself from laughing out loud — are lying on the floor, one knocking a framed photograph of him and Iris at Disneyland off the cupboard.

     Iris, was she here? Barry stops looking around the room and asks Oliver, "Where's Iris?"

    Oliver raises an eyebrow — It seemed to be a habit of Oliver's. Barry's seen Oliver do that many times before, but it looks softer somehow, gentler. Bordering on concerned. Caring. Oliver's crystal blue eyes skate across Barry's face, trying to discern what was up with him as he asks, "Are you okay? I thought you forgave me."

    "I did, I'm just —" Barry waves his friend off, taking notice, for the first time, the diamond on his finger. He stares at the ring for a few seconds, unable to discern if this ring is just one he bought for the aesthetic value or a wedding ring. Barry's mind flashes back to the fallen framed photograph of him and Iris and his heart begins to race at the thought that, quite possibly, he's married to the love of his life, Iris West. He decides to keep the question for next time, glancing back at Oliver. "I'm just curious."

    "She's downstairs," Oliver finally answers after he gives Barry yet another once-over. "with Joe."

    "Okay," Barry says, moving past Oliver to head downstairs without another word exchanged. How did Oliver get past 'Detective West' to 'Joe'? Barry brushes the thought away. He's obviously not in the West house anymore. Barry ignores everything on the way down as he goes downstairs to see Iris and Joe, cups of steaming coffee in their hands. He clears his throat awkwardly and their eyes snap over to him. Iris abandons the cup of coffee on the table as she makes her way to Barry, giving him that soft smile he'd fallen so deeply for.

    "Are you okay?" Iris asks.

    Barry nods, still unsure about what had transpired. Instinct tells him to play along — even though nothing he does now will matter when he gets back to his timeline — and he says, "Yeah, 'm fine. Oliver apologized, we're good now."

    Iris's smile widens and she hugs Barry who returns it warmly. When she pulls away, her hands going from around Barry's neck, down his arms into his own hands, Barry takes note of the lack of ring on her finger. His heart drops at the realization that he isn't married to Iris but he gulps down the disappointment with a forced grin. But if there is no ring on her finger and she's here with only Joe, that means Eddie has long been out of the picture.

    "Barry, we're supposed to see Felicity and Ray tonight, remember?"

    Barry turns to the sound, seeing Oliver coming down the stairs, adjusting a tie around his neck. His mouth moves faster than his mind does as his eyes travel down the length of Oliver's body in a suit. "Damn."

    Oliver's changed into a black and white suit and his tie's not straight, so Barry moves forward to fix it out of irritation of the tie's positioning.

    Iris gives them a soft grin that Barry's heart skips a beat at before she turns to Joe, saying, "Dad and I should go now. You two have fun tonight."

    Oliver gives her a nod and a hint of a smile as Iris takes her handbag, following Joe out the door as they all exchanged goodbyes. Once he's fixed Oliver's tie, he turns back around, his gaze falling on Iris's coffee cup, still left on the table.

    The coffee is now cold.

    Barry places the cup into the basin and rinses it while Oliver raises his eyebrow again, "Aren't you going to get dressed?"

    Barry pauses, about to ask what for, but he recalls Oliver saying they're about to go meet Felicity and Ray so he shuts up and nods.

    _Felicity_. Barry's eyes subtly fall to Oliver's hand. A diamond ring — Barry can't see it clearly, but it's glimmering under the soft orange glow of the lamp above the dining table — is wrapped around Oliver's ring finger. Is Oliver married to Felicity?

    Barry makes a mental note to check later as he takes the suit Oliver's offered him. He moves back upstairs to change — without his speed. He's unsure if he still has his speed in the future and although nothing he does now will have any impact on the timeline, he still wants to play along — and he comes down in a suit that looks like Oliver's. Oliver shoots him a smirk as he says, "You clean up nice."

    "You're not so bad yourself," Barry returns. Oliver and him exchange a smile and Barry wonders when was the last time he'd seen Oliver grin like that. Oh, yes, it was back when Barry had told Oliver he could inspire. _Not as the Arrow, that guy's a douche._ Oliver had laughed, genuinely laughed, and Barry had been delighted to be the reason his frankly depressing friend was smiling like that.

* * *

"Barry, over here."

    Barry quietly follows Oliver as he expertly navigates through the restaurant, finding with ease Felicity and Ray's table. Felicity's dressed in a lovely pink dress and Ray's in a suit as well. Felicity beams at them as they take their seats across from them and she greets them cheerfully. Ray's grinning as he calls a waiter to take their orders. Clearly they've been here together before, because Ray lists off dishes without consulting with the rest of them and nobody is objecting to his choices.

    When the waiter leaves, Felicity gives Barry a warm smile as she asks teasingly, "How's life with Oliver been?"

    "Great?"

    Barry's answer comes out sounding more like a question than he'd like, but he decides not to add anything else.

    Oliver gives him a strange smile and Ray says, "It's great how Oliver offered to let you live with him two years ago."

    Felicity nods, jokingly punching Barry's shoulder as she glanced at Oliver, "Mr Charity here saved you and the Wests' butts and all you say is 'great'?"

    Barry blinks slowly and he asks tentatively, "Saved me?"

    Ray and Felicity exchange confused glances and Barry shuts his eyes momentarily in frustration. He wishes it was easier to deduce his life from his friends.

    "You don't remember? There was a whole racial thing two years ago and Iris, Joe and Wally had to quit their jobs for the time being, just to keep out of the way of fights and stuff. They were barely getting by with the lack of pay," Felicity babbles, happy to enlighten Barry. "You wanted to move out, make life easier for them, so Oliver offered to let you stay with him in Starling. He paid off the Wests' bills until the racist thing had subsided and they could get back to work. It was really nice of him."

    "Yeah, yeah it was," Barry agrees, finally having some idea of what was going on. So he's living with Oliver, not alone. That explains the way Oliver walked down the steps of the house like he owned the place. Plus, Barry could never afford a house quite as grand as the one they're sharing.

    "Anything new at Palmer Tech?" Oliver asks to start up a conversation.

    Felicity smiles, "We may be collaborating with Stark Industries soon."

    Barry doesn't recognise the company name as Ray nods enthusiastically, "Tony Stark is a genius. Can't wait to work with him."

    Oliver sends him a polite smile and Barry can tell Oliver has no idea who Tony Stark is either. Barry thinks the conversation is over but Ray turns to him and asks, "Hey, didn't you say before that you liked Tony Stark?"

    Oliver's gaze lowers from Barry to his just-arrived meal and Barry nervously licks his lips unconsciously. Oliver's mood has changed just from what Ray said, though Barry can't exactly place his finger on it.

    "I don't exactly remember...?" Barry trails off awkwardly.

    Ray raises an eyebrow at Barry's sudden deterioration in memory but he laughs it off, "Yeah, you said you did. He's totally up your lane anyway — a genius and very pretty."

    Oliver instantly reaches across the table to take a glass of wine, gulping it down before silently setting it back down, glowering at Ray. Barry stares at him strangely as Ray continues, clearly enjoying Oliver's discomfort, "I still remember the first time you talked about him, the man who made the arc reactor."

    "I'm sure he knows who Tony Stark is," Oliver says. Barry would say his voice was strained but he can't be too sure. Felicity nudges Ray subtly and clears her throat — Ray flushes slightly and takes a newfound interest in his food.

    Felicity attempts to alleviate the tense atmosphere by bringing up a new name, "Laurel's law firm is competing with one in New York — Nelson and Murdock."

    Oliver smiles and visibly relaxes at the change of topic and he asks, "Are they good?"

    Felicity raises her eyebrows as she sighs dramatically, "They're certainly giving Laurel's firm a run for their money."

    "How's life been?" Barry interrupts. He doesn't mean to be rude, but the ring on Felicity's finger is bugging him more than he thought it would. Felicity and Oliver blink at him blankly, surprised by his interruption, but Ray smiles widely and takes Felicity's hand, a matching diamond ring on his finger.

    "Amazing. Every day with her is a new reason to be happy," Ray says, taking Felicity's hand, and Barry's mind instantly goes from _Felicity and Ray are married_ to _who is Oliver married to? Who am_ I _married to?_ to _who the actual hell are Tony Stark and Laurel?_

    Oh God, is he married to one of them?

    Barry pushes the thought away and forces another smile, it melting into a genuine one when the four of them (thankfully) settle info silence as they dug into their meals.

* * *

Barry and Oliver return to the house after the dinner and Barry takes up the whole bed as he slips into slumber. Oliver goes back to his own room, which looks a lot blander than Barry would expect. It honestly strikes Barry as more of a guest room than a bedroom, but to each their own.

    Barry leaves the house early the next morning. He learns that Oliver is actually a pretty late sleeper, so he leaves a short note for his friend and leaves for S.T.A.R Labs in Central City. Barry's beyond thankful that the lab pretty much still looks the same. Cisco and Caitlin are still there, but there are faces he doesn't recognise and he knows he doesn't have much time to figure them out. There's an African American boy with Iris and Barry truly can't recall who he is even though his face strikes Barry as familiar. There's a blonde girl present as well, black-framed glasses perched on her nose paired with a bright smile. She bounds around the lab like she's sunshine.

    "Barry, hi!" the blonde woman greets cheerily and Barry just returns a simple, "Hey." He immediately moves over to Cisco at the computers, seeking some form of solace in the form of familiarity in his friend. He's monitoring the streets with his metahuman app as he always is while he simultaneously fiddles with a pair of high tech goggles. Barry doesn't know what those are for.

    "There's nothing for you at the moment," Cisco informs him and Barry sighs, disappointed at the lack of action, but he's also relieved — he still has his powers. It seems like nobody other than him in the lab is married, so Barry cancels off Caitlin and Cisco from his list of people he's possible married. So far, he's got 'Tony Stark the genius' and 'Laurel the lawyer' on the list. The blonde has a ring on her finger, so his mind immediately adds her to the list as '??? the sunshine'.

    "Kara, you sure you don't need to get back to Earth-38 yet?" the boy asks and Barry changes her name to 'Kara the sunshine' as it tries to process _what the actual hell was an Earth-38_.

    Kara throws an arm around Barry's shoulder and pulls him close, grinning, "Yeah. Barry's birthday is in a couple days, of course I have to stay! Lena, Alex and the others can hold the fort down while I'm gone. Besides, Clark offered to watch over National City for me."

    Her hold on Barry's a little stronger than he thought it would be and she's done it in such a friendly, teasing way, so Barry removes her name from his list as he removes her arm from around him with a nervous laugh.

    "Oh yeah, how's Oliver?" Caitlin asks him with a bright smile on her face. Barry doesn't answer as he does a double take. Caitlin's in a leather jacket. Caitlin Snow, a huge softie who's soft-spoken, wearing a _leather jacket_.

    Caitlin tilts her head in question and Barry recovers from his surprise, "Oh, he's good. Um... Happier than before." It's true, Oliver is definitely happier than in Barry's present timeline.

    Caitlin beams at Barry, "I would think so." He asks her what she means by that and she grins, "Well, he has you now."

    Cisco and Iris join her in their cheeky smiles and Barry raises an eyebrow, "I didn't know I was such a joy to be around?"

    Kara laughs and she pinches Barry's cheeks adoringly, "Oh, Barry Allen, you're so clueless, it's cute."

    Barry moves away from her touch out of pure instinct — never trust a face he doesn't know, a lesson taught by Oliver during their first meeting — and Kara's smile falls so fast, Barry almost feels guilty.

    "Did I say something? I'm sorry," Kara frowns. Barry doesn't know what to say to her, but a frown looks like it doesn't have a place with her sunshine demeanor.

    He shakes his head, "No, no. I'm sorry, I'm just... It's been a weird day."

    "Hey, you didn't tell us Ray was working with Tony! That's so cool."

    There was that name again. Barry squeezes his eyes shut and he turns away from Kara to Cisco who's reading an article online. The headline reads 'PALMER TECH AND STARK INDUSTRIES TO COLLABORATE ON NEW PROJECT'. There's a photograph of Ray and the supposed Tony shaking hands enthusiastically and Barry's eyes fall to the diamond displayed so prominently Tony's finger.

    "He's married," he says unconsciously.

    Cisco smiles strangely, "Yeah, no duh. You should know that, you love the guy."

    The boy laughs and comments, "Really, Barry."

    Barry's heart begins to race at the anxiousness that he's married to this guy he doesn't even know in his present timeline. He uses his super speed to read through the article and he picks up several facts on Tony — a billionaire genius and philanthropist. He created the Palladium Mini-Arc Reactor Mark I to power the electromagnet keeping shrapnel from reaching his heart in lieu of a car battery. Barry thinks he's fine until he stumbles over a couple words that have him speechless.

    Tony Stark was a _superhero_. Iron Man, part of the Avengers, whatever the hell that was.

    "Hey, Iris. Have you seen Barr— Oh. There you are."

    Barry turns away from the screen to see Oliver, looking charming in his leather jacket. Barry found it unfair that the vigilante could look good in anything, could get any girl (or guy. Barry wasn't judging) he wanted.

    Oliver smiles at him as he nears him, his fingertips grazing Barry's arm gently as he says, "Thea's downstairs with Laurel, John and Roy. They couldn't come on the day itself, so they brought their gifts here. Hope you don't mind."

    Barry almost questions the amount of new names, but 'Laurel' jumps out to him the most.

    "Yeah, okay."

    Oliver's hand lingers on Barry's arm and Barry has to remind himself to breathe. He doesn't know why he's so flustered — Oliver is his best friend. But perhaps it was how uncharacteristic it was for him to be so... gentle. He touches Barry as if he was going to shatter at any moment.

    Barry doesn't realize he's staring at Oliver's hand until Oliver clears his throat, giving Barry a faint smile as he says quietly, "Come on."

    He nods and follows Oliver, away from the cortex and down the elevator. When the doors open, he sees John Diggle, along with three people he doesn't know yet. One of the two women has short, straight brown hair, tucked behind her left ear neatly. She's undoubtedly pretty, and her eyes are almost the same shade as Barry's. She has Oliver's smile and charm, and Barry remembers her from the party in Starling, Oliver's sister.

    "Hey, Barry. I'm sorry I came so early and without calling ahead. I've been a little busy with the nighttime business. You know how that goes," she says.

    The truth is, Barry doesn't know how that goes, because he has absolutely no idea what she's talking about as she winks at him, handing him a gift covered in Flash wrapping paper. He takes it with a sincere grin and the other woman steps up. She's got blonde hair (though Barry suspects it's not her natural hair color) and green eyes, and she carries herself with a sense of poise Barry's only seen in a lawyer in a courtroom, so he deduces her to be Laurel. If she's Laurel, then the other woman must be Thea.

    Laurel gives him a present, wrapped just like Thea's, as she says, "Happy early birthday, kiddo."

 _Kiddo_. So she isn't Barry's wife. She doesn't really have a ring on her anyway, so Barry cancels her off his list. There's only one name left on it — Tony Stark — but Barry finds that he highly doubts he's married to him either. This man lives in Malibu, in a custom-made mansion. It's Barry's dream to live like that, so why would he be living with his friend if his husband could provide him a life of comfort? So that leaves Barry with a blank list and he's still clueless.

    Roy grins and pulls Thea closer to him by her waist as he says, "Happy early birthday, Barry. So, thirty-six. You're getting old, Flash."

    So they know who he is — Barry immediately links them to Oliver's nighttime activities. He glances over at Oliver, but he realizes that the vigilante looks softer somehow. He definitely still works out (Barry saw some weights and a salmon bar back at the house) but Barry doubts he still fires arrows in the darkness of Starling City. John's frankly getting flabby, like he's settled into a life of domesticity.

    It's confirmed when Barry hears him say to him, "Lyla and Sara say happy birthday." He's got a wife and a daughter now, then. Barry thanks them all sincerely and Oliver puts an arm around Barry's shoulder and draws him close with a smile on his face.

    Oliver has never done such a thing before, not to _Barry_ , at least, so the action throws Barry off a little but he doesn't react. Oliver does it like he's done it a million times before, like it's second nature to pull Barry in a little closer. Barry's heart warms at the thought that he and Oliver eventually abandon the subtle formality that had been there during the Bivolo incident.

    Thea smiles sweetly at their contact and she says, "Right, I have to go now. Have a good day, you two, and happy early birthday."

    Barry nods, "Yeah, thanks. Have a safe trip back to Starling."

    Laurel laughs, "Starling? Haven't heard that name in a while. Star City, more like."

* * *

Barry thinks his day has been strange enough, but he returns back to Starl— Star City to the house to see a boy he never knew before seated on the couch watching some episode of Sherlock that doesn't exist in his timeline.

    "Hey, Papa," the boy greets. Barry's eyes fall on the Flash backpack the kid has and doesn't know what to think, because apparently he's going to have a son who knows who he is. Barry says "hey" back and the boy asks, "Where's Dad?"

    Wait, isn't he his dad?

    "Oh, do you mean Ollie?" Barry asks.

    The boy nods, frowning, "Yeah, _Ollie_. Is he at work?"

    Barry nods slowly, a sinking realisation forming in his mind as he says quietly, "Yeah, he's at work. Why, do you need anything?"

    Barry sees a resemblance between the boy and Oliver — he's got his blonde hair and eyes. Barry theorises that this is Oliver's kid with someone else, a woman Barry more than likely never meets, not in this lifetime anyway.

    "I need help with my accounting homework," the boy answers, pointing at the table where some papers and worksheets are laid out. Barry walks over and looks at the name scribbled at the top of each worksheet — William Clayton.

    Barry offers, "I can help."

    William laughs, "No offence, Papa, but you aren't exactly a star student of accounting."

    Barry huffs and reads over the question, frowning as phrases like 'accumulated depreciation' and 'ordinary shares' confuse the living shit out of him.

    "Yeah, you're right. This is more of Ollie's thing."

    Barry decides to leave William in the living room and starts exploring the house, hoping to find the answer to the one question that William's planted in his mind: _Am I married to Oliver?_

    Barry sees photographs of him (with or without Oliver) with his friends. There's one of him, Iris, Joe and the other African American boy at the beach (the photo is captioned 'Iris, Joe, Wally & me', so Barry notes that this boy is Wally), another of Barry, Cisco and Caitlin at a bar. There's many others that line the hallway, and they lead him to the mantelpiece, where one photograph stands at the centre, propped up by an elegant white frame.

    _Oh_.

    Barry lifts the framed photograph from the mantel and stares at it, not sure what to think. There's Oliver and him, dressed in matching tuxes, a white flower clipped onto both of their breast pockets. Oliver has his hands on Barry's cheeks and they're looking at each other like they're so devastatingly in love that Barry has to put the photograph down.

    Barry doesn't necessarily mind. The idea of being married to Oliver doesn't disgust Barry in the least. It's not like being attracted to men was anything new for Barry anyway — it was there when he met Cisco, and it was certainly there when he met Oliver. Barry just thought he would be married to a girl (specifically, the girl he's been in love with for the past twenty years.)

    But Barry doesn't mind. He doesn't know why he doesn't. Maybe it's because he's relieved he's married to someone he's familiar with.

    He ignores the world and returns back to his bedroom, starting to realise that this is the bedroom, the room he and Oliver share. It strikes Barry that he and Oliver were apparently in a fight when Barry travelled forward, so Oliver probably slept in the guest room to give Barry space (Barry knew he was acting a little distant.) The king bed, the photographs Barry failed to see of Oliver and Thea at Coachella together. Barry laughs at the idea of Thea convincing Oliver to go to such a flashy event. He continues browsing through the photographs, settling on a few of only Barry and Oliver.

    There's actually an impressive variety — one of them on a beach (Barry presses a kiss to Oliver's cheek), another wedding photo (they're kissing sweetly), one of them with William at his elementary school graduation. There's a lot more and Barry find himself thinking that it wasn't all that unreal. He and Oliver could work if they wanted them to.

    Barry catches himself by surprise with the thought and he glances back at the photographs again. They look so incredibly happy, a kind of happy Barry knows he hasn't felt in a long time, the kind of happy Barry knows Oliver only dreams of. Barry recalls all the laughs he and Oliver have shared over their few years of knowing each other and he can only think _this could work if they wanted it to._

    He doesn't know when he does, but he falls asleep with a photo of him and Oliver at a Fall Out Boy concert in his hand. When he wakes up, he's under the covers, the photo is on the bedside table and he hears a soft voice bringing him back from slumber.

    "Hey. Dinner's ready," he hears Oliver say, just slightly above a whisper.

    His fingers ghost over Barry's skin and Barry realises that he was wrong, Oliver doesn't touch him like he's fragile, he touches him like he's _precious_. Barry doesn't exactly recall when was the last time someone's held him like that. Cisco and Caitlin pull him close with adoration, familiarity. Joe hugs him like he's family and Iris holds his hand with comfort and closeness. But Oliver's touch is gentle and light, yet it also feels like an anchor, grounding Barry to the earth.

    He instinctively leans into the touch and Oliver presses a kiss to Barry's forehead, "Get up, sleepyhead."

    Barry's hand finds a place on Oliver's as he mumbles unconsciously, "Kinda like you."

    Oliver blinks at the strange timing but he smiles, "Kinda like you too. Now get up, food's getting cold."

    Barry's hand doesn't leave Oliver's as the latter pulls him off the bed, leading him downstairs. Barry's thumb gently runs over Oliver's ring and he lifts their interlocked hands up to see it. Oliver's ring looks just like his.

    Oliver glances at Barry, his gaze landing on Barry staring at their rings, and he simply says, "Thea took William out tonight, so it's just us."

    _Just us._ The words warm Barry's chest and he starts eating the pasta Oliver's made. It's better than he expected and Barry has the urge to ask Oliver where he learnt how to cook, but Oliver interrupts his thoughts with a playful, "Don't think I forgot you have to eat — There's a lot more in the kitchen."

    Barry nods and he mumbles, "Thank you."

    Oliver raises an eyebrow — which Barry now understands isn't just concern, it's him thinking Barry's pretty endearing — and chuckles, "Yeah, no problem, honey."

    The pet name makes Barry pause his eating and Oliver glances at him and jokes, "What, the food too good for you?"

    "Everything in my life right now is so horrible," Barry says suddenly, regarding his present timeline. The man he's idolised forever turned out to be his mother's killer and now he's visiting the future when he should be telling his friends about his discovery. Oliver raises an eyebrow yet again — _definitely a habit_ — but he doesn't say anything as Barry continues, "Everything is so horrible but you... you made me dinner and we're having it together and it's... It's nice."

    Oliver sets down his utensils and he leans forward, concern in his tone as he asks, "Did something happen today? Are you alright?"

    Barry begins to cry.

    The care in Oliver's voice throws Barry back to when his mother used to read The Runaway Dinosaur to him as a child. Her tone was so soft and gentle and now he's hearing it in Oliver. He sees traces of Nora in Oliver's eyes as they dance over Barry's face, trying to find the reason for Barry's tears.

    Oliver's up the second the first tear slips down and his arms are wrapped around Barry and _oh God he holds him like he's so goddamn precious_. Barry's hands grip at Oliver's shirt of their own accord as he sobs into his husband's grey sweater and Oliver starts rocking them gently, not saying a word until Barry chokes out, "I'm so sorry."

    "There's nothing to be sorry for. I know you still miss them sometimes, and you should never be sorry about that," Oliver responds, as if he read Barry's mind. He gently moves away from Barry's grip and he lifts his chin, saying sincerely, "I'm sorry I didn't know you back then, couldn't help you through it all, but I'm here now and I hope I'm enough to help you."

    That just makes Barry cry harder as he says, "You're helping so much. God, I wish you were here."

    And he really does wish Oliver was there with him in the present timeline. Oliver would know just what to say to console him after his discovery. Oliver would probably have his bow and arrow in his hands, storming down the hallways of S.T.A.R Labs to Dr Wells's office the moment he hears that he's Nora's killer.

    Barry knows Oliver doesn't understand what Barry means by that — he _was_ there, after all — but Oliver just whispers, "I'm here. You're okay, I've got you."

    Barry barely registers himself sobbing, "Oh God, Ollie, I love you."

* * *

Apparently Barry drifted off into sleep when he was crying, so Oliver put him to bed. When Barry wakes up the next morning, it's early and Oliver's long been out of bed. He's at the full-body mirror, putting on a suit. He glances at Barry in the mirror and shoots him a smile, "Morning, sunshine."

    "Mornin'," Barry mumbles. He sits up and stares at Oliver and he can't help but think _Oliver is a full grown man who's had this job for the past how many years and yet he still can't do a tie right_. Oliver's in a grey and white suit (a different one from the one he wore to the dinner with Felicity and Ray) and his tie's not straight, so Barry moves forward to fix it as he thinks _he could like Oliver_.

    Oliver lets him fix the tie with a soft smile on his face and he presses a quick kiss to Barry's lips when he finishes, whispering, "Thanks, babe. Breakfast is downstairs. I'm sorry I can't stay to have it with you, but you've got William. And remember, he has to be in school by eight forty-fi—"

    Barry kisses Oliver until they're both left breathless.

    _I could get used to this._

* * *

Barry reawakens in his present timeline, back in the time vault. He instantly feels naked, Oliver's body not in his hands anymore. Gideon reports, "You have been brought back to the time you left. You were in the future for three days. How was it?"

    "It was... It was good," Barry answers honestly, glancing around the time vault. "I actually liked it."

    "So will you keep the timeline intact, keep this a secret?" Gideon asks again, a question Barry has been dreading to answer since his return. He knows it's selfish, but it's also for the greater good anyway. If he alters the timeline by telling Caitlin and Cisco, he would probably end up killing one of them in the future or some other morbid event would occur. Barry doesn't even want to consider all the possibilities. Maybe Cisco ends up with a dead brother or Caitlin ends up with ice powers or something.

    "Yeah. Yeah, I'll keep it a secret," Barry finally answers.

    Gideon smiles, "Thank you, Barry."

    Barry leaves the time vault and returns to the cortex. Caitlin, Cisco and Dr Wells turn to him and Cisco frowns dramatically as he complained, "Dude, not cool. Thought I told you to get me coffee from Jitters."

    Barry stares at him for a few moments before he recovers, "Y-Yeah, you did. Sorry, it slipped my mind. I'll go get it for you now."

    Barry runs out of the cortex as soon as he says he would get Cisco his coffee, but he doesn't miss Dr Wells's smile and it sends a surge of rage through him.

* * *

Barry isn't exactly expecting to see anyone he knows at Jitters. He thought he would just get the coffee and go but of course that idea flies out the window when he enters to see Oliver talking to a woman, a steaming cup of the Flash beverage in Oliver's hands. Barry faintly recalls the woman — he's seen her around the city a couple times, and he'd seen her bump into Oliver the last time Team Arrow had been in Central City.

    He tries not to stare, he really does, but that obviously doesn't work when the woman subtly points at him. Oliver turns to his direction and perks up in surprise. Barry pretends not to see him. He knows what it's like to love so fruitlessly — he'd been loving Iris for the past twenty years, for God's sake — and he really doesn't want to screw this up, whatever he and Oliver will potentially have. He just wants to play his part — get Cisco's damn coffee and go before Oliver notices him.

    But of _course_ Oliver has to call out, "Barry, hey."

    Barry winces, though he turns around with a forced smile as he nears Oliver and his 'date' (at least, Barry _theorised_ that.) Oliver gives him a smile that Barry knows he'd seen on his future husband, the same one Oliver had given him when he was waking him up for dinner.

    Oliver's in a suit, as if he'd left his office the moment this woman had called him, and _his damn tie just isn't straight_. For a moment, Barry forgets he isn't in the future anymore, so he takes it upon himself to fix Oliver's tie. The woman watches them with thoughtful eyes and Oliver holds his breath as Barry fixes it, asking teasingly (and borderline adoringly), "You still can't do a tie, can you?"

    Oliver's tongue sweeps across his lips as he (for some reason Oliver can't exactly name) allows Barry to get so close to him to fix his stupid tie, and he mentally does a double take on himself when he catches himself thinking about how natural this all seemed.

    Oliver shouldn't even be thinking this was natural. Natural was Robert or Moira teaching him how to tie a tie on prom night. Natural was Thea joking with him as she adjusted his tie before his first date with Laurel. Hell, natural was Felicity or Dig helping him do his tie when one of his hands was occupied with his phone during an important call. This? This is far from natural — this is Barry Allen, lightning in the form of a man, helping him do his tie. Despite how unnatural the situation is, Oliver notices how naturally Barry treats it, as if he helps Oliver with his slanted ties every morning.

    Oliver clears his throat and recovers when Barry moves away and he introduces, hating the slight (and thankfully unnoticeable) tremble in his voice, "Sam, this is Barry Allen, my best friend. Barry, this is Samantha Clayton."

    Clayton. William _Clayton_.

    _Samantha was William's mother_.

    The thought pops into Barry's head and now he can't shake it off as he blinks at Samantha. He lets out a breathy laugh as he holds his hand out to her, "Nice to meet you."

    She gives him a strange smile and she glances between him and Oliver before she takes his hand and shakes it, "You too."

    Samantha says she has to get somewhere and Oliver lets her go without much protest and the moment she departs the coffee shop, Oliver asks Barry to take a seat. Barry obliges, praying that the conversation will be over in time for Cisco to get his coffee hot.

    "What are you doing in Central?" Barry asks.

    Oliver's demeanour turns nervous as he says, "Well, same reason Felicity and I have gone sideways."

    Barry tilts his head, willing him to elaborate and he already knows what Oliver's about to say.

    "I have a son. Remember when I got you a hair sample to run a test on? Yeah, that was his," Oliver says, and Barry can feel the amount of trust in his words and body language.

    Barry nods slowly, trying to act like he doesn't know who William is even though he's attempted to help the kid with accounting homework, and asks, "Alright. So how does this affect you and Felicity?"

    "Sam... She has this agreement with me. I can only meet my son if I don't tell anyone about him. My son won't know I'm his father, but it's okay. It's okay, I just... I just want to get to know him. So I agreed, but I told Felicity anyway. She's my girlfriend, I couldn't possibly hide this from her. God help me, she's so pissed, I regret it so much," Oliver says, running a hand through his hair as he sighs heavily.

    Barry's hand lingers on Oliver's arm across the table and he says comfortingly, "Ollie, you didn't do anything wrong. You just wanted to know your son, and I get that. The fact that you told her when the agreement was to not tell anyone, you trusted Felicity and she just didn't understand your side of the story. Maybe she'll get over it, maybe she won't. I know I'm not her, but I hope I'm enough to help you get through this, whatever happens."

    Barry repeats future Oliver's words unconsciously and he only realises he's said them after he does, but he doesn't regret it. In the present, Oliver's his best friend and Barry's still playing that role. Oliver's eyes drop to Barry's hand on his arm and a smile finds a place on Oliver's pained features. It's not forced — it's genuine. Soft, maybe even fond, if Barry dared to overthink a simple smile.

    Oliver pats Barry's hand twice with his and he says gratefully, "Thank you, Barry."

    Barry retracts his hand and he jokes, "So, does your kid like the Flash?"

    Oliver smirks and it sends Barry's heart racing as he says, "He does, actually. Loves the Flash. He wouldn't talk to me until I told him I was best friends with him. He was excited, asked me what you were like."

    Barry lifts an eyebrow — a habit he's stolen from future Oliver — and asks, "Well, what did you say?"

    "He's one of the best men I know."

    They're quiet for a while as Barry processes the fact that Oliver thinks he's one of the best men he knows and God, does that do things to him.

    "You really think so?"

    "I know so."

    "You're the best man I know too," Barry smiles.

    Oliver returns it with a chuckle, "Thanks, Barry. I'm glad I have you."

    Barry and Oliver's light laughter dies down and Barry nudges Oliver's finger gently with his own as he replies, "Glad I have you too, Ollie. I... I've recently found out stuff I wish I didn't know and I can't tell anyone or I'll alter the timeline."

    Oliver immediately falls into a serious mood as he asks, "Is it bad? Will you be okay?"

    "Yeah, it's pretty bad. I found out who killed my mom, but it's someone I wish it wasn't. I can't tell you who, though. I'm not okay now, but I will be," Barry answers both of Oliver's questions.

    Oliver nods once and he does something so out of character for him that it takes Barry by surprise — he takes Barry's hand across the table — and he says, "Alright. Let me know if you need help. I'll come right over."

    Barry chalks it up to his heartbreak from Felicity's lack of understanding of his dilemma, that perhaps Oliver is simply looking for consolation to mend the cracks in his heart that Felicity's made with her hurtful words about his 'illegitimate child'. Barry chalks it up to that, but that doesn't mean he doesn't feel a rush of adrenaline that feels almost like the lightning in his veins at the touch. Touched like he's precious.

    Oliver's definitely not going to deny that Barry is precious to him — he's his best friend. The man's always been supportive of Oliver and when he's in the wrong, he's the first to put him in his place and remind him what he's shooting criminals down for. Oh, Oliver fights. He fights and he fights until he's tripping around the foundry, fingers trembling as he tries to grab the warfarin as a faint memory of Barry saving his life plays in his mind. When Oliver's hands are scrabbling uselessly at his wounds as he bleeds out onto the floor, he remembers Barry telling him how to stop the bleeding. When Oliver's stumbling into his bedroom half dead, trying to keep quiet so he doesn't wake Thea in the other room, he remembers that Barry's been struck by lightning and doused in chemicals and _if he could make it through that, you can make it through this_. When Oliver wakes up screaming from a nightmare and he thinks Felicity's incessant babbling will be what brings him back to reality, but he instead finds solace in Barry's (strangely comforting) smile.

     _Oh_ , Oliver thinks without another word coming to mind as his hand doesn't leave Barry's. And yeah, maybe he's just trying to get over Felicity and her injurious insults to him and William with Barry's company, but it's doing the trick and Oliver doesn't exactly have anything against finding comfort in a person like Barry.

    "I can't hurt you," Oliver suddenly says.

    Barry raises an eyebrow — Oliver realises it's a habit the speedster's picked up from him — and he gives him a lopsided smile, "I heal fast."

    Oliver knows that's a lie — Barry's nursing his own wounded heart as well. Iris is with Detective Eddie Thawne, last he heard. Oliver knows what it's like to love so long and so uselessly and he's only done it for half his life with Laurel. Oliver knows how painful it is when one finally comes to terms with the fact that it's useless, and all their efforts at forming a relationship with the person they love comes to naught. Oliver knows how it hurts to love so fruitlessly and maybe that's why he and Barry's hands haven't left the other's. Oliver knows Barry's hurting and he's hurting as well, but right now each other's hands feel comforting so Oliver just allows it to happen.

    "Speedsters aren't invincible," Oliver finally responds.

    Barry shoots back, "Neither are archers."

    Oliver laughs humourlessly, "I can't do this."

    Barry nods, "Neither can I, not right now anyway."

    Their silence is broken by Oliver's ringtone and it's Felicity's name. His chest aches but Barry squeezes his hand comfortingly and it fades almost instantly.

    Oliver stands up, breaking the contact between their hands, as he says, "Sorry, have to go. There's probably a meeting or something I forgot about. I'm sure you have your business to tend to anyway. Remember, you can always talk to me."

    Barry knows this isn't the right time — Oliver's dealing with girlfriend drama, a son he never knew existed and the criminals in his own city while Barry's dealing with knowing his mother's killer's identity and metahumans all over the city — but he leans forward and presses a soft kiss to Oliver's cheek anyway and he says, "You can ask me for help too. Anywhere, anytime."

    Oliver's mind instantly goes _fuck it_ and he pulls Barry in for a kiss on the lips. He can't deal with this right now — he doesn't know if whatever he's feeling for Barry is genuine or if they're resurfacing from his heartbreak — but he does know that he needs this at the moment. It's not anything new for Oliver to seek comfort in people, anyway. The playboy lifestyle involves that a lot. Oliver breaks the kiss after a few seconds and Barry smiles with flushes cheeks and Oliver's stupid mind just goes _he's beautiful_.

    Oliver knows he shouldn't be thinking about Barry this way, but it's been there since the time Barry gulped and called him Mr Queen in the foundry at their first meeting. Oliver isn't new to finding men attractive — there's been Tommy Merlyn, Slade Wilson, John Constantine and drunken one night stands from bars and nightclubs — but something about the way Barry says 'Mr Queen' as he stares so challengingly into Oliver's eyes make him feel some type of way and when Felicity asks him if he's gonna put an arrow in Barry, Oliver's slightly ashamed to admit he'd been thinking about a different kind of 'arrow'.

    Oliver represses it anyway, especially when he finds out Barry'd been struck by lightning and thrown into a coma a few days after meeting him. He starts seeing the similarities between Barry and Felicity — their rambling, their cleverness, their obsession with Science and technology — and Barry's in love with Iris anyway, so.

    And now here he is, with Felicity shading him constantly and a son he's just found out about and he's here _holding Barry's hand after kissing him in a coffee shop_. He squeezes his eyes shut as he awaits Barry's response as he wonders _how could he be so stupid to ruin_ —

    "I'll see you soon, I guess," Barry smiles and God, doesn't that smile _wreck_ Oliver.

    "Yeah. I'll be in Central this weekend to see William," Oliver says.

    Barry nods, "Need a ride back to Starling?"

    Oliver shakes his head, "No, I'll be fine. I'm already late, and Oliver Queen never turns up on time."

    Barry laughs and Oliver finds it endearing and his heartache for Felicity's being numbed by Barry's soothing presence as the speedster says, "Well, I have to go — Cisco's waiting on this coffee."

    "I'll see you on Saturday?" Oliver inquires.

    Barry sends him a grin that Oliver's stupid heart starts quickening at, "See you then."

    Barry uses super speed to press a warm kiss to Oliver's lips before Oliver sees him at the counter purchasing another Flash because Cisco's has gone cold.

    Oliver feels a little less lonely as he leaves the coffee shop, feeling fingers graze his as a red streak speeds past him down the street.

* * *

_Ten years later_

Barry slams the door behind him and he has this overwhelming sense of déjà vu as he recalls this exact scene from when he'd gone forward in time, courtesy of Gideon. He immediately throws open the bedroom door and there's Oliver, staring into his eyes as he starts, "Okay, no bullshit. I was out of line earlier. There is no excuse, I shouldn't have said that, I —"

    Barry interrupts him as he pulls his face to his, connecting their lips as they kiss until they're breathless.

    "I forgive you," Barry says as soon as they pull apart. "Now come on, we've got dinner with Felicity and Ray."

    Oliver blinks at him for a while before he breaks into a grin, "Thank you. I'm sorry I said that, it's just... it's been a hard day and I snapped when I shouldn't have. You deserve better than me and I just —"

    Barry cuts him off with, "Oliver — Ollie, Ollie. Look, I don't care if I deserve better than you. I'm still with you because I love you."

    "God, Barry, I love you."

    "I love you too."


End file.
